Brindle 3: Part One: The Fellow Traveller
by Pipkin3
Summary: CHAPTER 8 - COMING 2009! Summary of story: A warren falls prey to unnatural forces, and three rabbits brave the journey to save the warren, and the future of rabbits. Contains moderate horror and mild violence.
1. In the Beginning

Brindle 3: The Fellow Traveller  
  
Chapter 1: In the Beginning  
  
As the sun was going down, the colours of the sky changed and spread like watercolour. The sight was beautiful and had a sense of calm and serenity. The bright stars slowly lit the scene as the daylight drew to a close. The last daffodil said goodbye to the world for another year, and the bluebells were being born. The only other movement came from the entrance of the burrows that made Watership Down what it is. A home for rabbits. Indeed, three such beings appeared from the mouth of the hole, sniffed and moved a little away. If you listened carefully, you might hear a noise. The three rabbits were communicating by means that is known, but different, to man. That is to say, they were 'talking'. Not like you me, but if they were to be written differently, you would not understand. I will tell you what they said, and of the extraordinary events that formed their future, and changed their lives forever.  
  
Listen, this is what happened that night. ''We can't possibly do this!' said a plump doe to the other two bucks. ''What if we are caught? We were forbidden to ever go there!'' Blethlin was adamant, and whispered loudly.   
  
''Not so loud, Blethlin'' said Brindle, quietly. '''This is important, and it must be done. What the chief of the warren is going through, I can't imagine. We must help, not just her, but the warren!''  
  
''But what I don't understand is' said Rian 'Why does our Chief feel so reluctant to help Miriple-rah?''  
  
''Well' said Brindle 'History says that they were loosely connected by family. Now we don't know why, but Elven-rah, our chief, left his daughter kit in her care. But the kit didn't see the light of day again''  
  
''She died?'' gasped Rian  
  
''Yes, and no one knows why such a healthy kit, with not a scratch on her, stopped running'' Brindle waited, letting all the facts sink in. He noticed a bug on the ground, and he bent down to have a look, the grass pressing like silk on his chin. Bugs always fascinated Brindle. He found them enthralling to watch, because he never knew what they would do next. He always wondered what was going on inside their heads, what the rest of the family was like, etc. He found it a lot of fun to imagine all these things, going down to insect level and exploring the life of the minute. The bug itself was a dark green colour, just visible in the limited amount of light. It resembled a mouldy nut, pointy at one end. Brindle noticed that its shape represented the unknowing, the two faced side of others. On the outside, a tasty morsel, but on the inside, foul and disgusting.   
  
Bugs were not common on the downs, especially ones like these. They scuttle away during the day, muttering about 'rabbits, such a nuisance. They are so noisy!' But of course they aren't, but we have a different perspective of them, don't we?  
  
Brindles movement distracted the bug, and it turned to look at him. It gave him an accusing look, and then its wings started to buzz, like a large helicopter, and noisily whirred and stuttered away. It began to spit with rain, and Brindle looked up to see Rian gazing into the sky. ''The birds are out'' he said simply, the rain bashing his eyes, the eyelids trying to protect them. One bird, swooped down at devoured the bug that had just taken off.  
  
''But we don't have a clue what is going on'' said Blethlin in dismay. ''It'll be like walking calmly into a burrow that we believe is not inhabited by hombil'' she continued, sarcastically.  
  
''But what if we don't go? What if we stay here? What if we don't go and ignore them? Someone will die! And if we die there, then we will die knowing that we attempted to help!'' said Brindle, leaning towards her. Rian stood, hopping from one paw to the other, and then lifted his paws to wash the rain out his eyes. '' I'm in the middle'' he said. It frustrated him when he couldn't make his mind up. It was lucky it was raining, or his tears would have been noticed. Rian usually stood by like this, saying nothing. He felt he could learn more, concentrate and still stay friends with them. His pale fur opened up to reveal his skin in the breeze. He shivered. ''Look'' said Brindle. ''We are getting cold. The sooner we get there, the sooner we come back, but I'm not going back now! Besides the guards will kill us if they know we are up so late!''   
  
Again there was another pause. Rian looked to Brindle, waiting for what he should do. He thought to himself 'If Brindle is going, then I will travel with him'. He did not have to wait long. Suddenly, Brindle got to his feet, and dashed across the field. 'I am going, and that is final!' Rian bolted after him, trying to keep himself by his side. Blethlin paused, and then 'Brindle! Come back here at once!' she called, but found that her legs pushed her forward.  
  
So their journey begins, but when will it end? 


	2. Lost and Found

Chapter Two: Lost and Found  
  
The moon was up, high in the sky, and the shower of rain slowly started to drift over the down, leaving only the roaring, ferocious wind for Brindle, Rian and Blethlin to cope with. It ruffled their fur, and the fields around them looked eerie in the darkness. The swaying trees gave the impression that they were being pulled over, from side to side by some mysterious force other than the wind. If there was anything louder than the wind, it was Blethlin. 'I told you,' she said 'we shouldn't have come, but, oh no, we have to rescue the rabbits we've never laid eyes on before!'  
  
'Stop moaning would you?' asked Brindle, irritably, turning towards Blethlin.  
  
'I'm not moaning;' she retorted 'I'm complaining. I don't see what it has to do with us. And why are you following?' she asked, turning to Rian.  
  
'Because he is a friend,' said Rian, not looking up. 'That's the only reason I need. I'm sure Brindle won't mind.'  
  
With the howling, whistling wind in their ears, they soon had to shout to be heard. But shouting might attract elil, and they didn't want that trouble now. 'Look,' continued Brindle. 'The sooner we get there, the sooner we come back. Safe and sound'.   
  
The darkness made the wood appear to be alive with spirits. The moon shone so brightly, that shadows danced a long the ground, and spread out for what seemed like miles in front of them. Rian glanced around him at the figures of Brindle and Blethlin. They did not seem to be perturbed by the darkness, the howling and the ferocious whispering of the trees. He closed his eyes, wanting the shadows to go away, and leave them be, but no matter how hard he pleaded in his head, they remained to haunt him. Were they tormenting him on purpose? He wanted to scream at them to go, but decided to clam up and hide in his shell. What if they thought I was not up to it? What if they wanted me to go back, alone? Brindle and Blethlin were swallowed up into shadow, disappearing from Rians view. Rian stopped, eyes wide in fear. Should these strange things have done that? He had no experience of these things. When he was a little kitten, his mother used to tell him "horrible things lived in the never ending blackness. Kittens go in, never coming out" Rian had avoided darkness for as long as possible ever since, and never dared step out at night before. Ever. That is until now.   
  
He began to whimper, crouching low, almost curling up, like a kitten to marli, on a cold winters night. He had never felt so alone, not since his marli died. He even wished his great grandfather, Hazel-rah as he was known in those days, were alive to comfort him. He'd never seen him, but when listening to his stories, he painted a picture in his mind, of a warm, caring rabbit, which was willing to spare his life for the ones he loved. The shadows continued to dance in a circle around him.  
  
Now quite a distance ahead, Brindle and Blethlin were in conversation, to keep their minds off the awful darkness. 'So,' said Brindle 'these mysterious deaths are happening all over the place. No one knows why. It can happen at anytime, any place, no one has been able to find out who or how.'  
  
'What I'd give to be in my warm burrow now!' said Blethlin, no longer bothering to be moody. 'But why are we going to help them? It can't be much of a loss'  
  
'Because,' Brindle, in a matter of fact tone, 'it's spreading. I've heard tell that another warren, further away, has also been infecting by what ever this killer is'.  
  
'So we need to stop it, before it gets to us, you mean? Will it spread that far? We're still quite a distance from Floxwood warren.'  
  
'Would you stay to find out?' said Brindle, with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
'Of course not!' said Blethlin indignantly. 'What do you take me for? A mouse?'  
  
'Speaking of mice, where is Rian?' They both suddenly stopped, looking around in disbelief. He wasn't behind them, as they had thought. 'We must have lost him the dark' said Brindle. 'We'd better go back and look.'  
  
'Why not leave him?' said Blethlin curtly 'He isn't exactly a great amount of use.'  
  
But Brindle was already out of earshot, so Blethlin had no choice but to follow. 'He must have got lost ages ago!' she called after him  
  
Rian had not moved in the slightest. He kept his eyes as tightly closed as possible.   
  
He listened for any noise of elil. But strangely, there were none. What was even stranger was that the wind had suddenly disappeared. Rian had been so busy trying to shut out the spirits, he had not noticed. But he did now. He opened his eyes slightly. Nothing moved, the shadows had moved on a little, for the moon was now fully up. Not a sound could be heard. No owls, no kind of elil. Nothing. He heard his breathing, even saw it rise up in a mist in front of him. But then there was a movement, in the bushes next to him. The bare, spiky twigs quivered, but nothing emerged. 'Brindle? Blethlin?' he said in voice that was barely audible. He wanted to bolt, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the others, making a joke? He moved into the bush, its branches scratching him, pressing into his skin. He could hear a strange buzzing.  
  
When he came out the other side of the bush, he was immediately engulfed in a mist of flies. He battered them out his way, but tripped over something. He stumbled, fell, and came face to face an object. Rian stared, and then leapt up in fright. In front of him, centimetres from his nose, was a body, its dead eyes staring into his. Lying on its side, the rabbit's mouth was wide open. A maggot dropped from the roof of the jaw. The skin had been eaten away, ripped and full of holes. The intense agony on its face was something Rian had never seen before. The jaw stretched out, at an abnormal angle. Then it moved! It let out a breath! Rian froze as the back legs shuddered from side to side. Maggots and insects fell from the fur; squirming on the ground. The skin flapped loosely, where it had been torn. It stank with the smell of decay. Flies landed on the eyeballs, but nothing beat them away. The whole body was shrivelled, as though it had had its soul sucked dry. Rian wanted to run, but the bush quivered once more, and he turned. 'Brindle! Blethlin! I'm so glad it's you! Take me home! Please!' But again, no answer. They were quite a distance away. Rian stared into the bush, the surroundings still as quiet as a before. A creature leapt out from the bush! Rian squealed, loud and long 


	3. Meeting by the Body

Chapter 3: Meeting by the Body  
  
"Well, well, well. We are in trouble I see. Don't worry; no harm will come to you yet. But if you have seen anything, if you let even one word slip from that miserable mouth of yours, I promise you, you will pay. Pay dearly"  
  
Rian came round. He felt dizzy. What had just happened? He was so confused he just lay there. He thought of the warren life he had left behind. What would they all be doing now? He looked up at the sky. The sun was rising once more. Would they not be looking for them now? Would they not be looking for Brindle and Blethlin? He thought to himself. Not him. They would never look for him. Few noticed him in their presence. He didn't mind greatly, but the nights were cold and lonely. But he'd rather be there then here. He sat up, blinking in the ever-brighter light. To his relief, the shadows had gone. But that one horrible thing was still there, even clearer in the sunlight. The body. Rian dared not look at it, and turned away. He wanted to run, but where had that thing gone. The thing that had jumped out at him, knocked him out and whispered in his ear. The words played back in his head, over again. Was he in danger? How was the attacker to know he had seen only a black object and no more? He had glimpsed a black shape, but he was too afraid to keep his eyes open for more than that short time to glimpse a sight.   
  
He got up and looked around him more. Yes, the wood still looked terrible, even without the shadows. Rian had no experience in these events. He had no idea what to do. He wanted to ask someone, but who was there to ask? He could hardly have a conversation with a dead body. He couldn't even look at it without tears coming to his eyes. It must have been awful, he thought to himself, to die in such a way that gives you that look of pain. Rian sighed, blinking back the tears. Why had the other two not come to look for him? Did they not like him? He immediately thought of what Blethlin would say if she saw him with the body. He heard her say, " I told you! I told him he'd be the death of someone someday!" Yes, that's her way. Make a joke of things. He was always the butt of the jokes. He never said he hated it, but he did. He was afraid Blethlin would beat him. He felt she was stronger than he was. Brindle always came to the rescue. He liked him because he was someone he could depend on. An extremely shy rabbit like himself needed that sort of partner.  
  
But now he was all alone. He sat there and shivered. The alone one he felt could rescue him was the one that he could not see ever coming back for him anymore. Brindle. He felt unable to help himself. He was alone. Alone.  
  
Or was he? He heard noises. Two rabbits. Or was it three? Rian took no chances, but shut his eyes, as though awaiting some kind of monster. Indeed, three did come crashing through the bushes. The silence that followed lasted only a second. Then a voice of a doe spoke. 'Here,' she said, supposedly pointing at the body, 'we have found him. It is him, is it not Miriple-rah?' Rian slowly opened an eye. He saw two does, the one that spoke being the largest with a rugged look She had a few scars on her chest, and one ear was completely mutilated. She'd been through the wars. The other doe, the chief of some warren, was the smallest. However, she was the exact opposite of the other. Her sandy coloured coast was immaculate, if sprinkled with a few grey hairs. She was obviously not very young. Elven-rah never looked this pristine. The third in the party was a buck. Tough and stolid looking, he too had the same rugged look of the doe, and had an authoritative posture, with a straight back and one paw slightly more in front than the other.  
  
Mirple-rah went up to the body. She gasped. The pain of seeing the body was to great, and she stumbled. Finally she said 'Yes, it is him. Oh my lamb, what has happened? Why did you never come home last night? You would have been safe' She turned away from the body 'I demand a search of the wood. I want Oaklas killer found! I might remind that he is not the first, but could be the last!'  
  
'There is something else, Miriple-rah' continued the doe.  
  
'What Corla?' came the reply.   
  
'Someone was found. He's sitting over there'. The three turned to look at him.  
  
Brindle and Blethlin had searched for hours. They had no idea what had happened to Rian. They heard a squeal, but could not track it down. 'Oh this is useless!' said Blethlin. 'We've lost him! The idiot! If he's not dead now, I'll kill him myself-Ouch! I a broke a claw!' She had indeed. On her way out of the bushes, she'd slipped and caught her foot on a stone. 'You two,' said Brindle, 'are as bad as each other. Can't you give him a break?'  
  
'Yes! I can break his neck!' Brindle sighed. Relationship counselling did not seem to be his strong point. He wished she'd leave him alone. Neither had any idea of the devastation they caused him, because Rian opened up to no one.  
  
They looked again in silence. They saw the sun rising in the sky. Brindle had never hated Rian, not in all the time he had known him. Blethlin turned up her nose at first sight. Brindle wished no harm to Rian, and he desperately wanted to find him. He did not deserve death. His thoughts were interrupted by shout only a few metres away, on the other side of the bush. 'YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING SCULKING IN THE BUSHES!? DID YOU DO THIS?!' The closeness made him jump. He looked around for Blethlin to see if she had heard it too. She had. 'Come on' he said to her, and pushed his way through the bushes.   
  
He saw four rabbits. A buck and a doe were trying to stop a small doe from scratching the fourth rabbit's eyes out. The fourth rabbit was trembling more than jelly, pressing himself into the ground. It was Rian.   
  
The shouting continued 'ANSWER ME!' said Miriple-rah.  
  
Rian was so upset he could only stammer 'I-I-I don't know!'  
  
'WHAT DO YOU MEAN? YOU MUST KNOW! TELL ME YOU STUPID CREATURE!'  
  
'Mirple-rah! Do you honestly believe he did it? Look at him! He's a quivering wreck at the sight of you, and even smaller than your son. How could he possibly do that?' said Corla.  
  
The buck spoke gruffly 'Corla, even the quietest of folk are capable of these things. Perhaps more so. Look we have company' He drew there attention to Brindle and Belthlin. Immediately, Rian leapt to his feet 'Brindle! Blethlin you found me! You didn't forget me!'  
  
'What is going on?' asked Brindle, confused.   
  
'Perhaps you should be asking your friend more directly' said Stalwart, the buck.  
  
'Rian?' said Brindle turning to him  
  
'I never touched him honest! It wasn't me! Please believe me!' he cried at Brindle desperately. 'Just tell us what happened and then we might all believe you' said Brindle, reassuringly. Rian hesitated. He didn't like the feeling of being stared at, but he told them. 'I was afraid,' he said, 'I didn't like the darkness. I got lost. Then I heard a noise through the bushes. I went to see what it was. I saw him,' he said, pointing to the body. 'Then something attacked me, but I didn't see what it was' It was noted that he did not look anyone in the eye at this point. He decided not to tell them what he had seen, for he supposed that the others would think he was making it up, or being stupid. 'That's a likely tale!' said Blethlin loudly. 'You, stay around in the face of danger? Stick your head in the sand more like! Because of you, I had a serious accident! I wish I had never laid eyes on you, you liar! You're an embarrassment to the male race!'  
  
A silence. Brindle looked around. From the faces of the other three, he could tell that they no longer believed Rian to be the killer. He didn't either, but evidently Blethlin did. Perhaps it was the frightened look that Rian gave Blethlin that did it.  
  
'You keep a civil tongue in your head!' said Corla  
  
'Why should I?' said Blethlin, glaring at her  
  
'No one insults an innocent rabbit like that here. We have no room for that sort of childish behaviour. Stop it right now, or you'll have me to deal with'  
  
'Ooh, I'm so scared! You dare touch me and I'll rip your tongue out!'  
  
'I can reach yours from here!' They leapt for each other. They bit and scratched, and rolled over, cuffing each other where possible. Miriple-rah watched, completely at a loss. Stalwart pulled Blethlin off Corla. 'New comer or not, I am arresting you for assaulting a Floxwood officer!'  
  
'What! You can't do that!' said Blethlin as he lead her away, screaming 'I demand a rematch!' The she looked at Stalwart 'Say, sir, how about you join in my burrow for a while…..' she said more calmly as she looked into his eyes as he led her away. Brindle heard her giggle like a kitten.   
  
Now that Blethlin had gone with Stalwart, Brindle asked the small doe. 'Are you from Floxwood warren then?'  
  
'Yes, I am Miriple-rah, and this is Corla. And this is-was- my son Oakla' She stared dejectedly at the body. She looked so helpless, so sad; Brindle would not have thought for a moment that she was the chief. 'We are from Watership Down. We have come to help'  
  
'Oh, you have? Thank you!' and she completely broke down and cried there and then. Her elegance had gone. Now she somehow seemed ordinary, with no high status.   
  
'I'd better take her home,' said Corla 'You three can follow'  
  
Just then another buck burst through the bushes, tripped and fell flat on his. He was young and energetic, and large clumps of hair stood out in tufts, where a leaf or two had gathered. 'Fashionably late again, Duffel' said Corla  
  
'I heard shouting' he said, grinning and picking himself up, 'was it a fight? Was it good? Who won? Hi' he said turning to Brindle and Rian. He spoke very fast 'I missed it! I was chasing the butterflies! I was riding one, but it told me to get off or he'll eat me! Can you fight again, so I can see what happened? Do! Do! Do!'  
  
They moved away from the clearing, leaving the body behind them. 'Oh Rian' said Brindle 'you're hurt'  
  
'Am I?' he replied. Two scratch marks were on his right hind leg. 'Oh, that's all right. It'll heal' But if only Rian knew the truth. If he had only looked at the body more closely, he would have seen something wrong. Very wrong. 


	4. The Strange Site

Chapter 4: The Strange Site  
  
By the time they had left the clearing, the sun was up fully. Although the rabbits did not know it, it was 7:30 in the morning. Brindle looked at the scenery that surrounded him and the rest of the company. He could not see what attracted the rabbits to live in such a fowl place. To his left a clump of brambles was strangler a weedy oak tree that was nothing more than a spindly twig. Dead, mushy leaves lay motion less on the ground, and they squelched slightly as they trod on them. As they passed a ditch, Brindle saw an empty birds nest sprawled across the ground. Heavy tacks lay here and there, decorated with black and white feathers. Brindle assumed that there had been a tussle between some large animal and bird trying to protect her young. None seemed to have survived. The last tinge of orange projected onto the trees, faded away. Brindle could not see the sky from where they were, which he felt was a shame. He knew Rian would be feeling homesick, and he couldn't blame him. Where was the laughter, the fun and beauty of Watership Down? The sound of the stream, trees bursting with fruit and all sorts of images came into his head. But no, he thought to himself, he was not going back. Not after they had come all this way to help.   
  
He turned towards the others. Corla was in front, proud and strong. Miriple-rah followed almost limply. She seemed to have taken the loss of her son badly. Duffel was not helping. He pranced around, trying to cheer everyone up with jokes only Rian found funny. Duffel's coat seemed to shine, though there was no sun. The pale brown rabbit, patched with almost white hair, chattered happily to Rian, who seemed to have gained something. Brindle could not tell what it was, but there was something in Rians eyes that told him it was a good change. Brindle listened in on the conversation.  
  
'Well anyway,' said Duffel, with a smile that could warm most hearts, 'I told the bee as many jokes as possible! He laughed so loud that he couldn't stop buzzing! When I told everyone what I had done, they all thought I was mental!'  
  
'Imagine that' said Brindle to himself.  
  
Presently, he heard Corla talking to Miriple-rah, and he moved up the line to join in. 'I'm not sure how only three rabbits are going to help us. I mean, we have a full warren, and no one can stop it-whatever it is'  
  
'We need all the help we can get, no matter what the size,' said Miriple-rah, 'and I doubt placing one under arrest will solve anything'  
  
'She's going to be the most useless of the lot' said Corla in return  
  
'She has her uses' said Brindle. They turned, for they had not seen him come up. 'If she spots an enemy, just tell her she looks ugly, and one of her rants and raves would frighten anyone off' There was complete silence, something that seemed common nowadays. 'Nothing has been right since Kittle died' said Miriple-rah.  
  
'Who?' Brindle inquired  
  
'Elven-rahs kitten,' she replied, 'such a nice kitten. Always polite, and generous, even if her curiosity tipped the barrel bit. It was that had probably killed her, though Elven-rah blames me. One day, she injured herself slightly, and fell ill days later. We assumed it was because of infection. She got so ill; I had rabbits help look after her for me. But she died very soon after. Elven-rah and I have not spoken civilly since'  
  
'What kind of injury was it? Where did she have the accident?' asked Brindle, with a slight tone of urgency. This could be an important start, he thought.  
  
'I'm not sure,' she replied 'I'm to upset to think straight at the moment'  
  
'Leave her alone. She needs rest' bustled Corla. Brindle did not want to get on the bad side of a doe that was slightly bigger and heavier than him. He fell and joined the other two once more, Duffel still chattering away, this time it was about a disobedient sheep {'I only asked to borrow some wool!'}  
  
Presently, Blethlin and Stalwart came back into view. They had had covered some ground, though the head start was small. Anyway, they seemed to be getting along. Indeed they were quite close, until they blundered into them. They drew away quickly. 'Enjoying yourself Stalwart?' said Corla, the only one to see properly.  
  
'I-er-I-er-was just checking her fur' he replied  
  
'For what?'  
  
'Er-for fleas,' he said, without thinking. Blethlin glared at him.  
  
'I do not have fleas!'  
  
'You only have them when you deny it' smirked Corla  
  
'Fight! Fight! Fight! Smack her on the nose Corla! Smack her on the nose-- strange creature!'' cried Duffel, eager for one to make a move. But none did. Miriple-rah approached. 'We are nearly there. Lead the way, Stalwart' she said.  
  
'You back here!' said Corla, glaring back at Blethlin 'No distractions!'  
  
Brindle had never experienced a journey where Blethlin had kept quiet before. In fact, he hardly remembered her being much at all! He knew better than to disturb her when she was sulking. Last he did, he had a painful backside for a week.   
  
Soon the whole party was silent, though Duffel was still smiling. Their paws were now drenched in mud and leaves. The bushes were thick and scratched painful at their sides and ears. Rian whimpered as a thorn caught his injured leg. Duffel noticed.  
  
'What is that?' he asked Rian  
  
'Oh its nothing. Don't worry about me. Just a scratch' he replied.  
  
'I've got one too. Just a few days ago' said Duffel, and left the conversation at that because they had just come up to an especially large bush, and the others had stopped.  
  
'We must be careful here' said Corla, looking at Miriple-rahs dejected face. 'There is something strange about this area, though we don't know what' Brindle did not like the sound of that. What was this mystery area? He should have a look as they went through.  
  
At first, Brindle could see nothing because of the thick trees up ahead. But as his eyes became used to the darkness, shapes began to form. 'Hrududil' he said to himself. And he was nearly right. However, it was not the sort he was used to. Great yellow hrududil with great sharp metal rods of some kind {Brindle did not know} that poked out of the front of each. One had an enormous metal thing high up in the air. As we are observing, I could see perfectly well what they were. Large diggers and trucks were situated around the site. Brindle did not know this. But he wondered where the men were. Surely no hrududil were ever around without men? And what had they done to the place? Trees had been ripped out of the ground, and thrown to one side. Brindle was sure that if they had faces, they would be showing an agonising pain. A large, untidy hole was positioned bang in the middle of the work site. The ground had been ripped up and dumped. 'What is this place?' asked Blethlin in awe.  
  
'We aren't sure really,' said Stalwart, 'Men used to come here for months with these hrududil and cause havoc. None of us stayed for long to see what they were doing. However, the strange thing was, that they suddenly stopped coming. That puzzled us. Men never leave their hrududil behind, and never come back. They have been here for months now, and no man has come to get them. I'm not surprised. It's the scariest looking place in the wood. Even we try to avoid it when we can, with the exception of tonight. It gives all of us an uneasy feeling, which we all hate. Plus, this was near the place that we believe Kittle was at before she had her accident' He paused for breath. Brindle noticed Duffels expression. He had expected a smiley face, not an almost guilty one. Perhaps he had been mistaken. Nothing seemed very clear in the dim light that managed to penetrate through the rusty coloured leaves of the trees. Suddenly a loud bang overhead made them all jump. 'RUN!' yelled Corla, taking the lead, and dashing out the opposite end of the work site. The others all followed her, clamouring to get out.  
  
When they had run for a few minutes, they pulled themselves together. 'See what I mean?' said Stalwart. The three new comers certainly did.   
  
'I think we had better get to the warren, fast' said Miriple-rah. The shock of the bang seemed to have woken her up a bit.  
  
'Is it much further?' asked Rian  
  
'For your sake, I hope it is' said Stalwart  
  
'Why?' asked Rian, surprised.  
  
'Because we have to tell the warren about what happened. I don't know how they will react you. They might like you or hate you' Rian looked very uneasy at his reply, and stared at Brindle helplessly. 'Don't worry,' said Duffel, getting his cheeriness back 'my doe Nutta will like you. You can meet her when we get back. It's such a nice warren. Everyone there is generally friendly. It will be fine'.  
  
As Floxwood Warren came into view. Brindle could not help feeling that Duffels perspective of what was nice was distorted. 


	5. Floxwood Warren

Chapter 5: Floxwood Warren  
  
At first, Brindle could not even see the burrow entrance. It was not until Stalwart indicated to them to follow him, that Brindle noticed it. On closer inspection, it looked as though it had been dug rather hurriedly. It wasn't quite a circular hole. The top left side had been dug to far out wards, giving t a rather stretched looked. The hole itself was situated in an embankment, covered in long grass, and soggy, dead leaves were trapped in it, a like a fly in a spiders web. Gnarled trees sat on top of the embankment, and they creaked and swayed in the wind. The ground below Brindles feet was dry and cracked, telling Brindle that they were well sheltered from the rain. They had to mind the stray branches of bramble and bindweed that were trailed along the ground. A couple of dead daffodils still remained, their skeletons hidden in the shadows that the trees cast. The hole was well covered by a single thistle that stuck out sharply, ready to scratch anyone that it could. To Brindle, it looked as though it was eager to scratch him, personally. He looked across at Rian, who also looked worried at the prospect of going near it. As they got nearer, the earth dipped slightly, as though a ditch had once been there, but had been filled in long ago.  
  
Stalwart paused at the entrance. 'You have to be careful here,' he said warningly, ' this thistle is dangerous if you don't know how to get passed it. We've been meaning to remove it for ages, but the thistles are so long, we can't reach the stem to bit in two'. He gestured for them to watch him closely. 'This is how you do it' he said, and demonstrated. He moved his front paws in first and pulled his right side of his tummy to the far right of the hole, and then dragged his back feet in after him.  
  
'I'm not going through that!' said Blethlin  
  
'Afraid of the ickle thistles?' mocked Corla. 'Shame, you'd look better with some scratches on you'.  
  
'Perhaps' said Miriple-rah, rather more loudly, so as to stop an argument, 'we should guide the newcomers through first. You first Brindle. Stalwart will instruct you once more'.  
  
Brindle looked nervously at the thistle, but with Stalwarts help, he was soon on the other side. Rian followed, everyone participating to coax him through (Blethlin bit him on the tail). As he came through, he dragged the scratches on his right hind leg in the dirt. Blethlin followed, then Duffel (who made a noise that we could interpret as a giggle, as he got scratched on the nose), then Miriple-rah and Corla.  
  
Brindle was now able to see a little way down the run. It went down a long way, ending in a fork. There were two passages to take. Duffel saw him looking and said 'we have two sections to our warren. One, the one on the left, is for visitors only. They must stay there for a least a day. Rabbits will go there to talk to you, until you know them. You will go there first, but as you know us, you might not be there long. The one on the right leads to the main section and the burrows'.  
  
Corla continued with 'the visitors burrow is the same as the main section, just smaller'.  
  
They were indeed led down the passage to the left. Brindle felt slightly uneasy about this warren. What was the point of a visitors burrow? Why not just go straight in like any normal warren? Corla seemed to read his mind. 'It's the attacks,' she said, 'we want to be extra careful about who we let in. They could be another attacker. Usually I interview them, but I doubt I will need to do that with you, since I already know why you are here'.  
  
They followed Stalwart down the run, and they came out into what looked like a mini version, yet slightly rough around the edges, Honeycomb. There were no tree roots above, but the earth was cracked and dry. There were all sorts of little runs leading off it. 'They are the burrows' said Duffel, simply.   
  
'Aren't they great?' Brindle had no time to reply.  
  
'We'd best leave you to have a rest' said Miriple-rah. 'No doubt you have had a long journey. What we shall do later is to bring the rest of the warren in here, to meet you, and we shall have a meeting to discuss the events that have just happened'. She ended on rather a sad note. 'Come on, Miriple-rah' said Corla. She led the way out of the burrow, followed by Miriple-rah, Stalwart and Duffel, who whispered 'See you later'.  
  
The mini burrows were only meant for one rabbit, so they had one each. Blethlin fell asleep after a lot of complaints about the space in her burrow. But Brindle lay wide-awake. He was thinking. Evidently, the warren was pretty small, to fit in the mini "Honeycomb". Had there been a great many attacks? What would the meeting be like? Would they like him? From the trembling noises that came from the next burrow, he knew Rian was thinking exactly the same thing. And he was right. Rian was terrified of being gawped at by six rabbits, let alone a whole warren. Trying to block those noises out, Brindle finally fell asleep.  
  
It was not a great sleep. The burrow was uncomfortable, and Brindle kept dreaming of dead bodies, and waking up in a sweat. Every time he woke, he heard Blethlins snorts and Rians worried mutterings of " No, they wouldn't do that! Would they?"  
  
He was glad when he was woken up by Duffel entering the visitor's burrow. Brindle shook some fallen dirt off his fur, and went out to meet him. 'Oh, you're up!' he practically shouted, to wake the others. Seconds later, Blethlin cursed and Rian squeaked. Brindle looked tired, Blethlin looked shattered, but no one looked as exhausted as Rian. He had no closed his eyes once that night, worried about the next day. The wake up call had made him jump; telling him the moment had come. He was relieved to see it was Duffel. 'Oh it's you!' said Rian. 'But who are they?'  
  
Brindle turned to see who Rian was looking at. A doe and a kitten had appeared at the entrance. Duffel went up to them. 'This is my family. My doe Nutta, and our kitten Laurel'  
  
'Greetings' said Nutta, smiling at the other three. Laurel just giggled. If Duffel had told him about the kitten at the time, Brindle would have bet it would not have been normal, with Duffel as a father. However, the laugh was not a crazy one, to Brindles relief. 'These are the three I told you about earlier' said Duffel. The other two just stayed still. 'Goodnight?' asked Duffel, inquiringly.  
  
'It was good' Brindle lied.  
  
'The best' said Blethlin. 'I slept like a log!' Pity she wasn't as quiet as one, thought Brindle. 'I dreamt that a sheep gave birth to me last night' Duffel blurted out. Blethlin snorted. 'What did you dream about?' he asked Brindle.  
  
'Oh, I don't remember' he replied.  
  
'I dreamt I was silflaying in a meadow' said Blethlin.  
  
'That's odd. Really?' asked Duffel, apparently forgetting what he had dreamt about. Rian said nothing. Laurel piped up 'marli always said that these burrows were horribly uncomfortable. She says dreams are nicer than the ugly life we have here. But I don't agree with that'  
  
'What do you think?' asked Brindle kindly.  
  
'I think life isn't ugly at all. It's beautiful. The way things like flowers grow up to the sun, to Lord Frith high in the sky is wonderful to think about. Dreams are silly. They are deceptive and can turn out either bad or good. You have little control once in a deep sleep. But you can control the events and consequences in real life. It does not do well to depend on dreams, and forget to live in the real world'. Laurel fell silent once more. Brindle saw that he couldn't be more than three months old. He liked the little fellow. Nutta looked a little abashed at having being contradicted, but Brindle smiled at her. She smiled back. Duffel leaned towards him and whispered in his ears. 'I must say,' he said quietly, 'They aren't quite as on the ball as I am, but they are lovely! We love to hear Laurel jabbering his nonsense at us! Nutta says little, but I like her all the same'  
  
They stopped talking at this point, because they heard the sound of rabbits moving towards them. It sounded like some sort of army or patrol, echoing down the long burrows. The chatter that followed made it seem rather spooky. The first three to enter the burrow were Corla, Stalwart and Miriple-rah. The three made their way to the back of the large "Honeycomb", and requested that Brindle, Blethlin and Rian should stand to the left of them. They did so, Rian whimpering. A great cloud of rabbits swarmed into the burrow from then on. They were all of different shapes and sizes. Some small, some tall. But most were very serious looking, and everyone looked very stressed, apart from Duffel, Nutta and Laurel. The rabbits began to form rows, which were divided into male and female sections. Duffel and Laurel positioned themselves in the middle of the very front row. Brindle caught Duffels eye, which mouthed 'Good luck!' But then his sight fell behind him to another buck. He looked very old, had grey hair, yellow teeth and had a very surly look on his face. He glared at everyone, including Miriple-rah. Brindle also noticed another buck hesitating in the burrow entrance. He was small, with a ratty shaped face, and strange black rims around his eyes, and teeth that stood out rather oddly, as though too big for the mouth. The burrow was now crammed with these rabbits, who looked at Brindle, Blethlin and Rian strangely, as though not sure whether to be suspicious or not. As Brindles eyes searched, he saw that Laurel was the only kitten present. Perhaps there were no other kittens? However, he no time to contemplate on this fact, because the buzzing of voice died down, and fell silent. The burrow had begun to heat up rapidly, with so many bodies present. The cracks on the ceiling would not benefit from the heat.  
  
'Now,' began Miriple-rah, 'I'm sure we all know by now why we have been called here. But for those who don't, I shall explain. You ALL know that my son, Oakla, disappeared not long ago'. She heaved a sigh at this point, as though struggling with the emotions. 'On our search for him, we found three rabbits. These three' she added, gesturing to Brindle, Blethlin and Rian (who kept his head down). 'They are Brindle, Blethlin and Rian. Now Rian seems the most important to mention at this point. We found him unconscious next to the body of my son'. She allowed a pause for the audience to gasp. 'However on waking, he told us what he had seen. Perhaps you should tell everyone Rian' Rian panicked at the mention of this. But everyone was looking at him. He very well couldn't refuse the chief of the warren. He timidly stepped forward. He flinched at the sight of everyone's gazes upon him. As usually, his speech was hindered by a stutter.  
  
He finished saying 'something black emerged from the bushes. That's all I remember'. The crowd gasped once more, but not so sympathetically. Some gave Rian scathing looks. 'Why had you not mentioned this before?' asked Stalwart. Corla gave Rian a dark look. 'I didn't think it would be much help' Rian replied.  
  
'Or he's got something to hide!' yelled one of the crowd.   
  
'Here, here' said a few of them in return.  
  
'I swear I don't-' said Rian, but someone cut across him.  
  
'If I may say something, Miriple-rah,' said the goofy rabbit at the back, 'Rian and the rest of his friends may just have been in the wrong place and wrong time' He paused, considering. 'However, its very suspicious. There is no one to back up his story. Who is there to say that Rian killed Oakla, and knocked himself out?' Members of the crowd nodded. Rian kept his head down. In defence of his friend, Brindle spoke up. 'We know Rian, and we know the kind of things he is capable of!'  
  
'Well of course, you'd stick up for him!' came an answer.  
  
'Don't talk to Brindle like that!' shouted Blethlin.  
  
'We can talk suspects how we like!' shouted back the rabbit with the strange eye markings. 'MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER!' he began to chant. Some of members of the crowd followed his lead. Everyone except Duffel, Laurel, Nutta, the old rabbit and the six at the front joined in. Miriple-rah desperately tried to calm everyone down. Rabbits were standing up now, shouting at Rian. ('Fight! Fight! Fight!' chanted Duffel). To them, he was the one to blame, and not the other two. They had not been there. Brindle distinctly heard one of them say 'Zayn sisi il yao i laynt dayn, hristhay! On lay nahl bral mi ulé roo!*'. That made Brindle angry, and he began to shout back. 'SILENCE!' shouted Corla, glaring at the crowd.   
  
'Er-thank you Corla, just calm down now……..' said Miriple-rah, to everyone.  
  
Eventually, they began to settle down once more. 'I don't not believe that any of these three had anything to do with these attacks. The body was so-' she took a sharpe intake of breath, and burst into tears a second a later. She hurried out the burrow as quickly as she could. All the rabbits stared at she went passed.  
  
Stalwart took over. He spoke loudly to drown out the rabbits chatter. Rian was still centre of attention, Brindle and Blethlin waited patiently to the left. 'As Miriple-rah nearly stated, the body was in such a condition that we see no rabbit, hombil, man or dog is responsible' But no one listened to him. They only listened to themselves and the chief. 'We want them to go!' said one.  
  
'You will be waiting along time. None of them leaves unless the chief says so'. There was an instant uproar at this point. During which most of the rabbits left in disgust. 'The meeting has ended. You may go!' said Corla.  
  
When the crowd had left, muttering to themselves, Duffel and his family came over to Brindle and Blethlin. 'Wasn't that great?' he said cheerily, though perhaps not as loudly as he would normally. 'Excuse me, not feeling great,' he said, 'but it'll pass. That meeting could have been much worse'.  
  
'Excuse me….' said Rian quietly, pushing passed and going into his burrow, looking incredibly depressed. Brindle had no idea what to say. Even Blethlin had no unkind word. She turned to Nutta and tried to make conversation. 'So how come you don't speak?'. The other doe laughed.  
  
' I do actually. Its just a matter of getting words in when you are in Duffels company'.  
  
'Parli talks a lot,' said Laurel brightly, 'He gets very over excited. Will you come and play with me? Can she play with me marli?'  
  
'Of course' Blethlin was rather taken aback by being asked this by a kitten. She'd never done it before. She nearly said no, but then remembered the time when no one wanted to play with her when she was little. It had happened often. 'I'd love to' she said.  
  
'Come on then' said Laurel, leading her up the run. 'I can show you the woods oldest trees'. They disappeared.  
  
Nutta went over to where Brindle and Duffel were in conversation. 'I'm going back to the burrow' she said.  
  
'I'll come too' said Duffel. 'Where's Laurel?'  
  
'Playing with Blethlin'  
  
'That's all right then. He'll come back to our burrow when they are done. See you later Brindle!' he called. Just as they left, Stalwart came back in.  
  
'I came to warn you,' he said cautiously, 'to not go out of this burrow tonight without proper supervision. None of you are liked at the moment'  
  
'But Blethlins gone out with Laurel' said Brindle in a panic.  
  
'Oh Blethlin will be all right. It's Rian I'm worried about…'  
  
From inside his burrow, Rian heard everything going on. He made it clear to himself that he will he not leave the burrow without Brindle. He was worrying over this when a buck entered. It was the old buck that Brindle had spotted. 'Hello,' he said in a gruff voice, 'I am Thorn. I'd just like to say- I believe you' Rian was stunned. No one had actually said they believed him, in words. 'Thank you' he said. Inexplicably, the rabbits talked to each other. It turned out that Thorn was somewhat of a recluse as well. They talked for ages.  
  
Brindle was so worried about him; he went to see whom he was talking too, just as both emerged. 'I've made a friend' said Rian, as though producing work he'd done at playschool to his marli. 'That's great', said Brindle, delightedly.  
  
'He says he'll take me a tour of the burrow' Rian continued. Brindle nearly said "no", but then thought that Thorn would look after him. 'Go on then,' he said, 'I'll wait for you here'. The two disappeared talking, animatedly.  
  
Brindle was now alone in the burrow. But he had yet to REALLY experience what the warren was like. He knew as soon as Rian came back.  
  
Hours later, and Rian had not returned. It was only a small burrow. Brindle had been wandering why Rian was taking so long, when he entered the burrow. 'RIAN!' he exclaimed, and he had good reason too. Rian was covered in blood from his nose. One of his ears had been completely shreded. He breathed like he was having a panic attack, and he shook violently. The back of his neck was covered in scratch marks and bites and small patches of fur were missing. Brindle ran forward to comfort his best friend. He looked smaller than ever, and he found it hard to breath through all his tears. 'Attacked' was the only word Brindle could make out, before Rian collapsed completely on to the floor. 'Please-take-home!' he choked through his tears. He clawed at Brindle desperately. 'TAKE--HOME! TAKE--HOME! TAKE ME HOME! PLEASE!'   
  
*Literally means, " Go again to where you came from, worm! We believe you even little!"  
  
('Go back to where you came from, worm! We don't believe you one bit!') 


	6. Berngum and The Dream

Chapter 6: Berngum and The Dream  
  
Throughout the warren, Rians sobs could be heard, echoing around the burrows. All Brindle could do was stand by and watch as his friend deteriorated before his very eyes. The blood from Rian's nose and ear trickled down his face, and pattered onto the floor in little droplets. As Brindle watched, it was as though the sound were getting louder. The blood banged to the floor as Rian's cries filled the air. Blethlin, who appeared at the entrance, brought him out of his stupor. 'What is going on?' she demanded, looking from Rian to Brindle. He turned to her. 'I think you'd best leave' he said slowly, 'I'll try and sort it out' She left them to themselves. Brindle immediately began to lick at Rian's injured areas. This seemed to have a calming effect, as Rians sobs slowly began to subside.   
  
It was a while before any of them actually said anything to each other. Once Rian had fallen silent, Brindle bent down and looked him in the face, observing the damage. 'Tell me what happened' he asked gently. Rian looked at him.  
  
'I was attacked' he said, simply.  
  
'By whom?'   
  
'By just about everyone at the meeting. That strange-toothed fellow started it, and then they all joined. I begged them to let me go. But they just laughed at me. They continue to hit me. They ripped my ear, my nose. My fur. I've never been so frightened in my life' He paused for a second, allowing himself a snuffle of the nose. 'Why did they do that? What gave them the right?'  
  
'No rabbit has a right to hurt another, especially if they intend to hurt you' said Brindle, getting closer to him.  
  
'I often wonder,' said Rian, 'what makes them what they are. There's hrair reasons you know' he said, as though surprised. 'What makes them hurt a rabbit for any reason. Why hurt me?' he stopped, as if he expected answer. Brindle shook his head.  
  
'Because they can' Rian continued. 'It's because I'm worthless and useless, that's how I see it. They pick on rabbits like me because we only have the ability to let it happen. To continue. They don't do it to anyone else. No one their own level, no one above them. The rabbits with nothing get walked upon, like a piece of man-smelling lettuce. And no one else comes to help. Their so-called Owlsa members felt no need to intervene, as they just stood back and watched it happen. It was as if I wasn't there. Life's no different here, Brindle. I've stepped from warren to another, and there's little difference!'  
  
'Of course there's a difference,' said Brindle, 'I can see a dozen differences-'  
  
'To you, of course it different,' Rian interrupted swiftly, and with slight a hint of ire. 'You find it easy to just walk in, be happy, be liked. Not me. I can't do that Brindle'  
  
'Yes, you can…'  
  
'NO! I can't! I want to, but I open my mouth and nothing comes out! Rabbits just pass by and I want them to see me, to like me. I'm screaming inside "Look at me! I want to be your friend! Will you be mine?!". Eventually someone did. You did. But only you. You practically had to force Blethlin and me to speak to each other. She hates me. But there's truth in what she says. I am a useless, pathetic, stupid, annoying…'  
  
'You aren't!' cried Brindle. He couldn't believe what his friend was saying about himself. 'Don't say,' said Rian, looking up at him, 'that there has never been one moment that you wish I had never been born. That I had never been your friend. The times when I've let you down, slowed you down….'  
  
'But all friends….'  
  
'And what kind of friend are you!' yelled Rian, beginning to cry once more.  
  
'What's that supposed to mean?!' asked Brindle, indignantly.  
  
'Friends are supposed to protect each other. What have you done so far? I followed you, because I trusted you! I believed that you would protect me! I'm no good on my own! You left me behind! And I'm obviously so important, it took you along time to realise you had done! And not one of you, NOT ONE, said to my face "I believe you". Your word would have made the world of difference to me. I went out with Thorn because he said it to my face. He opened his mouth, and words came out. Wonderful words. I felt I could do anything. I wanted to go out. But you let me down again. You let me go! I heard what Stalwart said. Yet you still let me go!' He paused for one moment. Then he turned away, and said almost inaudibly. 'You let me down'.  
  
Brindle was stunned at Rians sudden outbursts. He hadn't seen this side of his friend before. He moved round on the dry, dusty floor and faced Rian once more.  
  
'I never realised' he said as he gazed at his friend. 'Sometimes friends don't. But that doesn't mean they don't mean the world to you. I let you come because you were the friend I wanted. You and Blethlin. I wanted my friend to share in the experiences. To learn knew things. She might be belligerent at times, but her hearts in the right place. I never wanted, or even expected, any of this to happen. I'm just an ordinary rabbit. I don't see things if others don't tell me. I'm the stupid rabbit, not you. You should never think of yourself like that. Always picking out the bad points. Think of the good points. You're kind, caring, understanding. Don't do this to yourself. You came to help to help these rabbits. Think of that!'  
  
'I didn't,' said Rian, facing the floor, 'I came because I didn't want to be left alone. So that makes me selfish too'.  
  
'There's nothing wrong about not wanting to be lonely. Most rabbits don't. A lot don't mean to let others down. Including me. I can't say more than this. I can only say that I've never been sorrier in my entire life. I believe it wasn't you. Always have'  
  
'Then take me home. That's all I ask' Rian pleaded.  
  
'You know I can't' Brindle replied, sadly. 'I can't leave these others to suffer either. If you want to redeem yourself so badly, here is your chance. Your chance to stand up to your fears and worries. Stay'  
  
'I don't think I can'  
  
I don't think I can help everyone here, but I'm trying. It's all I can do. It's all you can do'. Rian sat in silence, head down. To Brindle, he seemed to be thinking. He could tell from his expression that he was struggling to make the right decision. Runaway from the fear he can feel in himself, or face the fear he has of this warren. Should he stay and help? Or leave his own friends behind. Rian knew that he should not let Brindle down. He wouldn't. He began to cry out again. 'I'm sorry for yelling' he said. 'I have decided that no good will come to anyone by me running away. I'll let you, Blethlin and myself down. I shall stay. I shall pull through' Brindle smiled and continued to lick Rian over and over. Both were exhausted. Rian, having had no sleep at all the night before, needed sleep. But Brindle could tell that he was still too upset to do so. He decided to tell Rian a story that his marli had told him, whenever he never slept. According to her, it was a story that was almost forgotten amongst rabbits. It was a story of El-ahrairah entitled "El-ahrairah and the Bluebells". Brindle took in a deep breath, struggling to remember it all, but managed in the end.  
  
When he heard the gentle breathing of Rian's sleep, he began to feel drowsy himself. He was brought back once more by Blethlin, who this time came straight in. 'Well?' she said impatiently. 'What happened?' Brindle saw something in her manner that did not progress to her eyes. Her body suggested impatience, arrogance and stiffness. Her eyes looked upset and sorrowful.  
  
'He was attacked' he said, slowly.  
  
'By whom?' she nearly shouted. Brindle explained whom Rian and had said it was.  
  
'Well' she said, shaking a little, 'he should have fought back. Fancy letting yourself being beaten like that' Brindle was about to reply angrily, when she retreated from the burrow, in quite a hurry. Probably pleased, thought Brindle.   
  
But Blethlin did not go about her own business. She headed straight for the main burrow, and went to the entrance. But it was as though they had expected her. Two owlsa members were guarding the entrance. 'Sorry,' said one, 'no visitors are allowed in here'. They stood in front of her, standing stock-still. Blethlin tried pushing her way through, but they were far too strong for her. 'Move,' she said angrily, almost fuming out the ears, 'or I'll kick you so hard, my paw will come out the other side!' They shrank back immediately, edging up against the wall as she stalked past. 'Dog with long ears!' she heard one mutter, and she spun around, giving he best barking impression. They squealed and sank back even more into the shadows. She turned back towards the sight in front of her.   
  
Feeling very refreshed from her practice run, she was stunned at the once thought inconceivable size of the area. She had walked right into the main section of the burrow. It was impossible to compare The Honeycomb to this extraordinary place. She looked up at the immeasurable distance between her and the ceiling, where string roots and cracks tore across from end to end. Her paw steps echoed from wall to wall as she moved forward. She could just see the far end where a large hole led off to the sleeping burrows. Dry soil spilled over her paws as she paced from wall to wall, completely astounded. She had never dreamed of such a large place. The Honeycomb was something that had amazed her, all her life, and to this day. She used to ask how it was built, how long it took and how many rabbits finished it so many times, her parents were sick of her. A lot of the storyteller's sources were from the stories of Hazel and his friends, though guessing filled in some areas.  
  
Directly in the centre of now extra-large Honeycomb, was a hole in the ground. To her surprise and embarrassment, she saw other rabbits were there, staring at her. There were only three. The emptiness made each sound louder and more prominent. She wondered why she had never heard them munching on the flayrah that spilled out of the hole. She was drawn to the smell of carrots and radishes.   
  
'Budge up then' she said as she approached. Two of the rabbits drew away at once, having heard what she did to the owsla guards. These were plain rabbits. One had a very dark patch on his nose, while the doe had the very dame mark, just a little higher. She also looked rather pregnant in Blethlins eyes. Either that, she thought, or she's fat. She started helping herself, while the other doe and buck looked on. She found herself suddenly hungry, and pulled out a carrot from the pile.   
  
Then the other buck spoke. 'Seen your friend Rian lately? I heard my "friends" were too many for him'. Blethlin looked up at once. It was the rabbit with the strange teeth.  
  
He was watching her from other side of the hole. Blethlin's temper suddenly started to rise again. 'Why did you do that?' she demanded.  
  
'Well,' he said, 'partly for fun, and partly because I was told..' He failed to even finish the sentence, because Blethlin unexpectedly lunged at him. Even to her own surprise, she covered the distance of the mound and landed on top of him. 'Let me go!' he yelled as Blethlin pressed him down. 'Give me one good reason why I should!' she yelled back.   
  
'Because if I die,' he said, maliciously, 'your friends won't be too happy. Not even Stalwart' She let go of him a little.  
  
'What about Stalwart?' she demanded.  
  
'I've seen the way he looks at you. I saw you and him with Laurel. Looked like a nice little family'.  
  
'What do you-' Blethlin began, but a voice cut her short.  
  
'Brawling in public again, I see?' Corla was approaching. She pulled Blethlin off him.  
  
'Blethlin I am arresting you for brawling in public, and violating the warren rules. And believe me, this time you shall be. You are to come with me'  
  
'But he was provoking….'  
  
'Berngum was in his rightful place. No more arguments. You are to follow me, and you will be isolated from your friends, until I decide when you can go'  
  
'But it's true' said the other doe.  
  
'Be quiet!' Corla snapped back. 'If I say she is under arrest, she is under arrest! Follow me-now!' She led Blethlin down towards the big hole at the end of the other end. Berngum smirked as she was led away. From there, the tunnel forked into three directions. She led her down the far left, just as Laurel popped her round the corner. Laurel saw what was happening, and retreated down into the tunnel on the right. She followed it for a few minutes, not meeting a single rabbit. Most of them were asleep at this time. Just as she was about to come to the section of the warren where the roof gradually got lower, she turned left into a burrow, where Nutta was standing over a very ill looking Duffel. If rabbits could shed tears, the run would be flooded. 'I don't what to do!' she cried 'He's getting worse'  
  
'I'll be alright' murmured Duffel, without opening his eyes. He was breathing heavily, and looked hot, fidgeting every once in a while. 'Parli will be alright,' said Laurel, expressionlessly, 'and if he does die, he'll go to a better place'. Nutta cuffed Laurel heavily, shouting 'don't talk like that! You're far too young to understand death. Are you saying you want your parli to die?' Laurel got up, making no reply.  
  
'No one's going to die,' said Duffel, 'but I could do with some sleep. Come round me, and close your eyes. If you think dreams are better Nutta, then you will not object'  
  
'But what if….'  
  
'But nothing. Lets just go to sleep'. The two reluctantly settled down. Nutta kept falling asleep, but jerking herself awake, just to make sure he hadn't died. But she fell asleep entirely a few minutes later. Laurel fell asleep almost at once. Duffel lay awake, wheezing, for a lot longer. He had deteriorated extremely quickly since last night. He didn't know how he fell asleep. He wanted to keep his eyes open for a while. But he drifted off eventually.  
  
It was a strange dream. He found himself in a forest clearing, near the warren entrance. He felt younger and fitter. This place was now a haven for rats. They had attacked the rabbits months ago, and forbidden to go there again. The clearing however, was populated by rabbits he had known, but were now dead. Old Butterbrew was there, and Kingdeer. They were old friends of his that had moved to another warren, shortly before the battle of the warren. Corla could also be seen, squashed in against Miriple-rah and another aging rabbit. She hadn't aged a day. These and the rest of the rabbits seemed to be having a meeting, of which he was about to participate. This scene was very familiar. He could not remember or hear what was being said. It was as if there was no sound control. He watched for a while, automatically joining in at times, though he could not hear himself. The sun was fulgent and trees stood still, refusing the gentle breeze to push them over. Dandelions were in bloom across the ground. The grass was fresh and bouncy. Leaves broke into tiny fragments as he stood on them. He saw a blue tit swoop over the ground, just metres away, gathering up a worm in its beak. The worm squirmed and wriggled in its bid for freedom, but to no avail. Its silky pink skin reflected the sunlight, and lay motionless, as though accepting death.  
  
Then suddenly he saw another figure. A doe kitten hopped into the clearing. It was her that made Duffel remembered the situation. This was a meeting about the unusual deaths from another warren. They were discussing what they should do about it all. We should have, thought Duffel, and Kittle wouldn't have died. This doe kitten Duffel recognised, was Kittle. He remembered her graceful, playful nature, and irritating questions.   
  
She stayed there for the entire duration of the meeting, leaving just before it ended. When it was over, the rabbits dispersed, and Duffel found that another him had been created. The past him left the spot where he was standing, and left with the others through the trees. Duffel stayed where he was, looking at the surroundings.  
  
Presently, Kittle returned. She poked her head out through the bushes, seeing if anyone was still around. It was as if she couldn't see him. She rolled around in the earth, playing with the leaves, throwing them up with a kick of the hind legs. Duffel continued to watch, even when she left once more. He was alone in the clearing again. The sun was fully up, and was giving off a blazing heat. He moved forward a little. Just as he did so, a child's voice spoke from behind him.  
  
'Psssst' it said. Duffel whirled around. Kittle's head had appeared in the bushes, and she was looking directly at him. 'Pssst,' she repeated, 'follow me. I have something to show you' Duffel just stared, unsure if he should. 'Come on,' she said, smiling. 'It's all right. Follow me'. She disappeared in the bushes once more. Duffel didn't want to follow her, but felt compelled to, all the same.  
  
He crashed through the bushes after her. A sudden pain came across his scratched leg, but he ignored it. For some reason, she was taking him to the Strange Site. What had she found? He felt he had to know. He continued to follow.  
  
Then they were there. Clouds formed overhead, blocking the sun. 'Follow me' Kittle repeated. She made towards a hole in the earth that he had never seen before. The vehicles were still there. Kittle looked down into the hole. 'Come and look' she said, gesturing him to come over. He moved forward slowly, uncertain of what he should find. He stood next to Kittle at the edge of the hole. She smiled at him as he looked down. It was pitch black. There was nothing to see. He looked up again at Kittle's face, and was startled to see she was in shock and crying. She was staring at something behind him. He whirled around and nearly stumbled into the hole with fright. There was a Kittle on his left, and one on his right. But the one on his right was dead. He saw the bones, the flies and the ripped flesh, as though some terrible beast had tried to eat her. Her mouth was wide open, her teeth sticking out, broken and yellow. One side of her face broken into, like and egg. Her dead eyes were looking straight at him. The sun disappeared completely, and the wind began to roar. The scene became dull and lifeless. Duffel had a serge of guilt and horror as he saw the two Kittles in the same eye line. 'You killed me' she said slowly, looking at the body sorrowfully. 'You killed me. You killed me. You killed me'. The body's jaw opened and it chanted along at same the time. 'You killed me! YOU killed me! YOU KILLED ME!' The alive Kittle lunged at him. She began to change, in a way that he could not see clearly. She landed on top of him, for all he could tell. As she did, he felt a strain around his heart, a searing pain across his leg. A dark cloud came over him. He yelled and screamed for help, for a short duration, and then the mist swallowed him up.  
  
'AAAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!' Rabbits clamoured around to see what the fuss was all about. Nutta was screaming, as Laurel struggled to get free from the body that had fallen sideways on top of her. Duffel was dead. 


	7. Troubled Times

Chapter 7: Troubled Times 

The silence was so quiet; everyone could hear the ringing in his or her ears. The rabbits all around watched as though they were the audience of a shocking play. No one moved. No One spoke.

Then it all began to build up, like an oncoming hrududu on a quiet main road. Murmuring, chattering, wailing, squealing, panicking. For a few seconds no one could hear anything, not even what each other was crying out, and there was a lot of fidgeting, rabbits stepping on another's paws, seemingly to get a closer look. It all went as quickly as it came. One by one, rabbits silently dispersed into their own dark corners of the warren, saying nothing, not looking each other in the eye until they were out of sight of Duffels body, as though it were disrespectful.

Brindle had heard the scream, and come as quickly as he could, only to find the last rabbit's tail vanishing round a corner, the sound of general chattering in the distance, as though nothing had happened. The only rabbits present were Miriple-rah, trying to stop a hysterical Nutta trying to get back to her mate. Her paws were scrabbling against the ground, trying in vain to save the body from some danger or other. Laurel was clinging to Stalwart, her face resting against his side; though Stalwart looked extremely uncomfortable with the position he was in. He too seemed to have been knocked off his feet, and just blinked at the kitten beside him. Corla was standing in the corner, staring at the mangled, decayed thing that had been Duffel. There was no one else. Rian was still fast asleep, and Brindle had no idea where Blethlin was.

Although he had known Duffel for less than two days, it felt like a part of the world, a part that was much needed, had been drained away. Who was there now to look upon the world with such a gleeful smile? Who was coming to rescue them all from wallowing in there own misery? This was his first time in this section of the warren. Had he known how it had looked before, he would not have been surprised to find such a dirty, dingy, dark and dank little warren. Being in the section for visitors conjured up dreams how marvellous a warren it might have been, despite the atmosphere outside. But it now seemed even more desolate and depressing than ever, now that the only rabbit with any true personality had gone, had left them for good.

Brindle had no idea what to do next. Would you? Would you just stand there and wait for someone to tell you what was happening? Or wait for someone else to speak? Or even leave them alone? The scene seemed to explain itself without words. Was this quiet and fearful atmosphere like that of the friends of the great Hazel-rah when they were left to listen to oncoming digging of the Efrafans above, knowing they could be inches from death?

Brindle was saved the trouble of having to work out what he should be doing, when Miriple-rah spotted him. She said nothing, but he could tell by her gaze, that she needed his help. He slowly made his way towards her, Nutta cried getting louder.

'Brindle,' she said, struggling to keep her voice from quivering, 'you must take her. And Laurel. Take them anywhere but here. We need to dispose of the body. And I feel we'd best do it on our own'. She looked even smaller than usual, and completely worn out. Brindle nodded in agreement, and turned to collect Laurel, whom he found, to his own surprise, already clinging to him. Nutta had given up fighting, and she just sat there, breath heavily, gasping every few seconds, just to make sure she was still alive too. Brindle gave her a gentle nudge, and she looked at him. She knew what he meant. She nodded.

He led the two outside the warren, where it was now dark again. They ducked under the over grown thistle, and blinked as the wind hit their faces. It was cold, and the constant rushing of the trees gave an uncontrollable quality to the surroundings. Brindle would not have been surprised if they were laughing at them.

They sat in the ditch, out the way of the gusty weather, and sat in silence, Brindle watching the occasional bug that crawled by. But no other animal came. They were completely alone, and sitting in silence.

Then Nutta spoke at last. 'He would be laughing at us now,' she said, staring at the ground, 'thinking "what silly fools you are"' she giggled dryly. Brindle nodded.

'Yes, I suppose he would'.

'When I first met him, back in the old warren, I thought I'd been born again. Like part of my life had been revived. Now. It's gone. I can't see it or feel it'. Laurel looked like he was about to say something, but held himself back.

'Perhaps it is for the best though. He no longer has to endure everyone's suffering, not that he minded much in the first place. You know,' she said, looking at him for the first time, 'when he heard Majoria had fallen down an old well and died, he said "I was surprised that she didn't get stuck, her fat bottom would have saved her life for once"'. She hung her head slightly. 'Memories are perhaps better than reality. Will you promise me something?' she said, turning to Brindle, swiftly, making him jump.

'Anything,' he replied, without thinking.

'If I die, will you look after Laurel for me? The rate that every one is leaving us, and I'm worried that he may be the last, with no one to look after him. He'll be all on his own'. She paused. ' Will you?' she asked, slowly, still watching him. Brindle looked down at the kitten, who seemed to intent on watching something in the distance, to be listening, but something made Brindle think he had heard every word. What was on his mind, Brindle could not tell. But clearly Laurel did not wish to express very much emotion towards his parli's death, and Brindle could not quite figure out why.

The only time he had ever looked after a kitten before was back on Watership Down, when a marli had been killed, and he'd been left to look after her little kitten, Elvstar. She wondered off when he wasn't looking. Luckily someone found her, but Brindle had never forgotten the event.

'Okay,' he replied, somewhat reluctantly, but with a hint of satisfaction too, because it made him look heroic. He looked at Laurel again, but he could still not work out his feelings towards him. Did kittens that young even care who their guardian was?

Nutta looked a little happier, but had the essence of a tired mother around her eyes. Just for a second, he saw the real Nutta. A doe that just wanted to leave all her life behind and search for a new one elsewhere. But she composed herself.

'I'm sorry for putting such a burden on you,' she said, breathing out heavily, 'but I just want to be prepared'. She fell into silent thought for a second, then said, 'though I suppose however prepared you are, the outcome is still a shock somehow. Not much point in preparing really'.

'But if it makes you feel better', Brindle added, 'then it has a point. Especially if it might prevent a death in certain circumstances. It might not bring Duffel back, but it could save you to have a plan and be prepared'.

Laurel looked up, her eyes meeting Brindle's for the first time since coming outside. 'But parli hasn't gone. We can still see him. He's over-'

'Stop it Laurel!' Nutta barked, 'your parli and I are sick and tired of hearing your silly reasoning. I might still have memories of him, yes, but why can't I have more? Why shouldn't I have had more? Grow up, and start to living in the real world'.

Laurel looked away again, but showed no expression that said he felt insulted, or annoyed to any degree.

The ditch they were sitting in grew uncomfortable, and Brindle, feeling it was a good idea, asked if they should like a walk. He couldn't really be bothered, but he felt he should do so otherwise he looked uncaring. Laurel leapt to his feet, pulling on the ear of his marli with his teeth, trying to make her get up, forgetting that they were sharp, and ended up scratching her ear, for which he was scolded.

Blethlin had been thrust into a burrow, at the very far end of the warren, a place once occupied by rights until months ago. The mess hey left as still there, apparently, as Corla put it, for the prisoner's pleasure. Here she had been all this time. But she hadn't stayed willingly.

'You know,' she sneered at Corla as she was pushed down the run, 'you don't seem to do much round here. You just push others down runs and lick your chief's paws. Is it that satisfying?' Corla pushed her even harder.

'No one said it was easy,' she replied, 'all this manual labour. Oh, I hate to imagine having to push a bottom this big down a run every day, I'm surprised it doesn't snag the walls and bring the whole warren down on us'. Blethlin shook her fur in anger, although she couldn't help feeling that this doe brightened up the warren for her somehow. It wasn't as if she liked her, but it was fun to think up new insults that could be used in later life. But this comment made Blethlin feel especially angry, and as Corla shoved her into a burrow, and commanded another rabbit to keep watch, she contemplated on why this was.

Her mind thought back to the days when she was a kitten, not very old, but not exceptionally young. Around Laurel's age. Vague pictures came into her mind, of her home in Watership. Every picture that emerged, she gave an almost commentary speech in her head. That one? When was that? Was it? Yes, yes it was, now I come to think of it. That sort of thing. Picture after picture came flooding back, and she was shocked to see how much she had forgotten. Though, she couldn't forget her parents. Parli had been a highly respected officer in the Owsla. One of the best. Marli had been one too. One of the best. And they been the ones who gave as much love as they could to her, like a job they had to do. One of the worst. She could remember seeing them trying their best to like her, but she had not been what they had hoped for. From the moment she was born, she had been ill, and her marli had to drop out of the Owsla to look after her, much to her marli's annoyance that she could not take her with her when she started to use her legs. As a result, she lost her position, and had lost the energy to work herself up the status ladder once more. But when the love had been stretched as far as it could go, they got angry with her, frustrated, short tempered. They called her names for the entire warren to hear, calling her ugly, useless, stupid. Before long, Blethlin thought they were right, and learnt to think that the truth should be acknowledged fully, so she acted like her marli and told the truth about everyone, to everyone. Rabbits started to hate, and avoid, her. But something about her attracted Brindle to her. So she felt she must repel him, but found herself going back to him as well.

She was awoken by her thoughts by a short burst if cries from far off. The burrow she was in was small, but covered in bones, some sticking up from the floor, so she found it difficult to sit down. She felt her way over these, towards the entrance, and felt the back of another rabbit in front of her. Someone was standing guard.

'Who's that?' she whispered

'Stalwart' he replied.

'What's going on?' she demanded, not bothering to lower her voice now she knew who it was.

'Not sure,' came the answer, Stalwart still with her back towards her, as though he felt it was wrong to do so.

'Shouldn't you go look?'

'Can't, I'm meant to be guarding you!' he replied, strictly.

Blethlin was concerned that there had been an attack, and she shook her head in frustration at Stalwart.

'They might need your help, you should go'.

'But I don't want to leave you,' he replied. But then he gasped, shook himself, and disappeared, somewhat hurriedly. Blethlin too, shook. What it meant to Stalwart, she had no idea, but she knew what she had felt in herself.

'Stop it,' she said to herself, 'that's a silly thought. Get it out your head, you silly doe. It's a wonder rabbits don't think you're weak!'

She took a closer look at the burrow now that her eyes had adjusted to the ever-increasing darkness of the place as the warren went deeper into the earth. It now seemed smaller than she had first imagined. It was almost exactly circular, but she could see why this was used as a prison burrow. The little bones made it so uncomfortable, internally and to sit on, she could imagine the pain on the rabbit's faces as they tried to bare the discomfort. She shivered, sensing thatsomething horrible had gone on here, not so long ago. And she could quite clearly smell the stale scent of rats. But the back wall of the burrow caught her eye, as it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest. The two walls and the entrance were uncannily well preserved compared to the rest of the warren, but the back wall was loose, as it evidently collapsed in. Had this burrow once been bigger? Why hadn't it been repaired? And what could have caused such a fall?

A noise caught her attention. A noise completely different to that of the screaming, which was beginning to die down. This noise was quiet, subtle, but above all, just as frightening. There was the tiniest of scrabbling. A scrabbling coming from behind the loose earth of the back wall.

'What on earth is that?' Blethlin said to herself. She slowly crept towards the noise, as laid her ear as best she could to the wall's surface. Scrabbling. Digging. Screeching. Gnawing. Scratching. She leapt away at once. No one wonder the smell of rats was so strong in here! They were right behind this wall! And by the sounds of it, they weren't far from braking through! She had to do something! She had to fight! No! Run! Run and tell the Rah! That's right Blethlin! Off you go! Go tell her! Quick!

They were nearly back at the warren entrance. Brindle couldn't say that his trip around Floxwood had been particularly pleasing. It was just as he had feared. Dark, damp and cold. They had even come across a bog that was like the earth it had nearly swallowed him up. Laurel had thoroughly enjoyed his little walk, and Brindle came to the conclusion that he didn't get out much. It was the kitten that talked the most, Nutta remaining in a mute state throughout most of the journey.

Then they had arrived at the very clearing in which, months ago, Duffel had been asked to a meeting and Kittle had been playing. One of the last few Duffel place Duffel had seen before he died. But the rabbits weren't to know that, were they?

But here they turned around, and began the trek back. Just before this, Brindle noticed a distinctly open path leading out of the clearing on the other side. It was the most depressing path he had ever seen, and he could see little. It was as though a dark cloud had formed there. Dead twigs and branches stuck out, twisted and sharp, from the overgrown bushes and trees on either side. Dried up nettles, still with a little sting in their tips, concealed themselves in the frail, withering grass, the only grass that Brindle had actually noted since their arrival. The twisted branches formed a loose "roof" to the path, but could still see clearly through it. A lonesome bat waited sleepily in the dark bushes, the arrival of the rabbits unbeknown to him. But their departure brought him to his senses, and he took off silently, and flew down the path, over the tangled mass of thorns and bramble, and out of sight.

'Why don't we go through there?' Brindle enquired, his throat dry.

'We just don't,' said Nutta, looking exhausted, although she had only got up not so long ago.

'Danger' said Laurel, 'that's Danger in there. Parli said so. He told me not to go near it, but I did,' he continued, playfully

'What happened?'

'Nothing happened to me. But I saw lots of horrible creatures. When I came back, I asked what they were, but no one would say. They said I was too young, and that I should never say anything about it ever again'.

Laurel about to whisper something in his ear, but Nutta spoke sharply.

'Thum lay hahean, Laurel!' she snapped, and said no more.

They turned back in the direction of the warren, and headed for what Brindle horribly thought as his long-term home.

Rian slept through the traumatic events, and for once, felt at peace in the warren. But he suddenly woke with a start. Someone was prodding him. He looked around in panic, expecting to find Brindle, and was surprised, which turned to happiness, to find that it was Thorn. Thorn however, looked tired and miserable, and Rian felt the happiness ebb away into nothing. Did he look like that? Was he that battered and torn?

'I came to see how you were,' said Thorn, unsure of where to look. 'I hope you don't mind'

Silence.

'I suppose not' Rian eventually replied, eying him suspiciously.

'And I came to apologise'.

'Did you now?'

'Yes. I thought I'd better'

Rian considered things again.

'Can I sit next to you?' Thorn asked.

'You have to convince me'.

'Convince you of what?' Thorn replied, looking in his face for the first time since he had come in.

'That you weren't in on it. In on the attack' Rian said, wide eyed, shrinking away. Thorn came closer, shaking his head.

'I wasn't, I swear on my life that I would never do such a thing. I don't even like them. You're the only one I've felt comfortable about talking to for ages. No one here likes me, but when I saw you standing up in front of al those rabbits, I thought how brave you were. I thought it was great that you did. I thought you might help me-to be able to do that. I'm an old rabbit now, worn out and weary, but there was one thing I have wanted to do before I go, and have done ever since I was a kitten, and that was to do what just did'.

The old rabbit sat down hurriedly next to Rian, as though he wanted to finish what he had to say, before he could be interrupted.

'I thought it was very brave of you to speak like that. Very brave. Perhaps,' he said slowly, 'perhaps, you could help me do that too'.

'Somehow,' said a voice, 'I find that very amusing'. Berngum was standing in the burrow entrance, not bothering to hide his glee.

'What's he going to do, I wonder?' he continued. 'Surely he's not going to actually behave his age for once, and be of any use to someone. My god, he actually moves quickly'

He was right. Rian had shot up and onto his feet before Berngum had got his last sentence out. Berngum, however was not a rabbit that could be easily scared.

'You get out'' said Rian, quietly.

'What was that?' said Berngum, pretending to strain his hearing, 'does the worm speak?'

'I said, GET OUT!' Rian shouted as hard as he could

'Sorry? Didn't catch all that. I'm not used to you or him being like this. If you're anything like the blunt Thorn here, you can't possibly be able to string more than two words together, normally'

Berngum began to whisper and stutter. 'I don't-don't-don't, I-I-I,' he said, cruelly.

'Honestly, that's what you sound like. It's why we call you abnormal, don't you see? I mean, just look at you both! What rabbit doesn't even know how to protect himself?'

'You will, if you don't look out for yourself,' said Rian, taking a step forward. Thorn had called him brave! He couldn't let him down. He couldn't let himself down. Not again. Thorn was still sitting on the ground, looking from one to another, unsure of what to do.

'And why should I do that?' Berngum spat, revealing his true height and towering over Rian, his larger than normal teeth bared ready to strike.

'Because you might me again!' said another voice. Berngum looked around.

Blethlin had been searching for Miriple-rah, and on hearing raised voices, deciding to see what was going on. She stood in the burrow entrance now, looking sternly into Berngum's face.

'You,' she said, stiffly, 'take me to the chief of this warren at once. And if you don't want to be chewed to death, you'd better do as I request'.

Berngum looked back at her, with a strange air of relaxation on his face. He seemed not to have noticed Blethlin's warning tone.

'Of course,' he said, nodding cheekily, 'hospitality is my speciality. I never resist a damsel in distress. But,' he added, throwing a gleeful look at Rian and Thorn, 'I rather enjoyed our previous meeting. I insist we do it again, very soon. And when I insist on doing something, it is always done. It shall happen again. Though I'd prefer if I saw you first, Thorn, I could give you a lesson or too on how to stand up for yourself. Shall we go?' he finished, turning to Blethlin, and then idly wondering out.

The three left behind fell silent. No one could think of anything important to say. Rian could not believe he had stood up so fast, and he quickly sat down next to Thorn again, but looked angry, not upset.

'Thank you,' he said quietly, hoping Blethlin wouldn't hear.

'That's okay,' she said, and Rian looked up in surprise. But he only just saw her tail whip round the corner. She was never usually that nice, and it was a good feeling to know that she might not hate him after all. He turned to Thorn.

'Can you stay a bit longer?' he asked.

'Only if you want me too,' said Thorn, slowly.

'More than anything' Rian replied. He felt that Thorn had also done a brave thing, to talk so freely to him, and he thought he should give some of himself back.

Soon, they were talking avidly again, like old friends that hadn't seen each other for years. Both their faces alight with pleasure, and they did not fade until a longwhile after. But both had Berngum's threat on their minds, and both thought that if they could stick together, it could be dealt with. That was what made them happy.

Suddenly Thorn remembered something.

'Oh, I forgot! I've got bad news. Duffel is dead'.

Brindle, Nutta and Laurel finally arrived back at the warren, feeling so depressed, they just wanted to go to sleep. Well, that is, Brindle and Nutta felt depressed. Brindle didn't know what it was that kept Laurel happy, he just couldn't see why he should be. He was just about to ask Laurel a question that would put his mind at rest, when Corla appeared just under the thorn.

'Brindle,' she said, 'Miriple-rah would like to see you. She has something to say. Something you might want to know'.

Brindle looked perplexed. What in the world was he going to hear that was so important?

He followed Corla down the run. Nutta followed for a while, until she discovered where they were heading. She gave her excuses and, trying to seem in control of herself, left, Laurel in tow.

It was not until he saw Miriple-rah that he realised why Nutta had refused to come. She and Stalwart were waiting for him. Waiting in the very burrow where Duffel had died.

Before he had even entered, she started to speak.

'Brindle, I know you want to help us. But you can't at the moment. There are some things about this warren you do not know about. I am going to tell you everything I can'.

Generally means, "That's enough, Laurel!"


End file.
